Let me Tell you a Story
by 7dragons7
Summary: it's a long one. But one you should know. I'm writing it down, my heavenly musings, in hopes that someone might read it. It's important. The wars you all keep having, you should never forget them. Not one. So let me tell you a story, of our history. -Rome
1. Let me Tell you a Story

Though I am gone, war has not stopped.

I wish it was over. So my little Italy wouldn't have to fight anymore. He's really not cut out for it. And it's so advanced and kind of scary these days, I certainly wouldn't want to be fighting in wars like these. And I was the greatest there was. But there will always be war. Always. Man has been fighting since the dawn of time and they will probably be fighting till its twilight end.

I watch them. The countries of today bicker and fight. It's certainly not how it used to be. Marching armies across great distance and invading when you felt like it haha, those were the days.

I mean, I suppose you can still do that… I've seen countries attack other countries… but the counter attack is quite fearsome. Why attack in the first place knowing that was the outcome? It's crazy! All these modern day countries would be better off not fighting anymore at all!

And I'm sure if nation avatars had their say, there wouldn't be anymore fighting… but they don't. While they are human to an extent they are not actually human. We are not humans. We have human emotions, thoughts, feelings, and we even look human. But we are not. Simply the land in a human form, here to carry out the will of the people. We feel it when people die. Wars hurt us. We can be harmed by human weapons, but not killed by them. Not permanently… the only permanent scars we gain is the loss of land. The loss of a battle.

It's crazy now, what I see. I wish they would stop… so Feli and his potato friend could live peacefully. That little piano player could just play, and no longer fight. He's not good at it anyway. I wish wars could stop so that that little former empire and his shinning star of a former colony could get along. Four thousand year old China is probably tired. To tired for war anymore.

But war rages on. And it always has.

And I'd like to tell you those tales of war. I hope that my heavenly musings will find there way to someone and they read it all. See past mistakes repeats in history and put an end to it all. I do. But I know that will never happen. All the same…

Let's see… where to start.

It only makes sense to start with the oldest of us all. From a tale I have only heard. Now, it's not the first war, but it's as far back as I can go I'm afraid. But let's start here, and we'll work our way up, shall we?

Now. The first war I shall tell you about is the Battle of Zhuolu. Now, most don't believe that this war happened. Anything back from this century is considered a legend. But for arguments sake, just go with it.

-Roman Empire-

* * *

><p>~AN

ERM…. Maybe I should try and finish something before starting a ridiculous project like this, seeing as all my hetalia fics are ridiculously long projects. -slams head against keyboard- Damn plots.

What is this exactly? Well. Roman Empire going over the wars. The beginning and endings will be him narrating but he wont be doing the whole thing. It'll be from countries points of view. And it will be All wars. No one gets skipped over. Or, I'll try not to skip any wars.

I'm a big history buff, and I've been selling myself short when it comes to Hetalia fics because I think I'll royally screw up. So we'll see.

But do note, I'm not trying to offend anyone. Just writing wars via Hetalia characters. I love dark Hetalia. I've seen lovely fan art of Hetalia warfare, and that one scene in the actual show with the revolution. US leaving the UK and all that. Love it. I want more of that. But we'll never get it. Just jokes. Which is good, but it's annoying to me, at times…

This fic will be graphic, bloody, and all that jazz. It's war. I will also do my best to keep pairings out of this unless it's history cannon. Hungary x Austria for example. But I love yaoi a lot. But I will control myself. Scouts honor.

So we'll see how this goes. Hope you enjoyed and come along for the ride.

I have a lovely bata, but I didn't want to bother her with this little thing. It's all three am. The rest of my chapters will be beta'd so they wont be so atrocious.


	2. Battle of Zhulou

The battle of Zhulou. It's the second battle in Chinese history, so it's said. It happened in the 26th century BC between the Yellow Empire also known as Huang Di and Chi You. It was fought in Zhulou or… what would that be today… haha sorry, Europe is more my thing… Let's see… I believe that would be near the present day border of Hebei and Liaoning… Yes. That's it. Now again, many don't believe this battle happened. Anything from this long ago can't possibly be accurate. I would guess that only China knows for sure… but even he may have forgotten…

* * *

><p><em>The young days of my life are only fleeting memories. Sometimes I may recall them in dreams, but it's been so long, aru. After four thousand years, I simply can not remember everything. It's to much, aru. <em>

* * *

><p>The boy was still small. With a tiny pony tale to keep the dark hair out of his face. He ran though the bamboo fields quickly. This life was confusing. He was certain he was the only one of his kind. But what was he exactly? He was still trying to figure that out. But that would have to wait.<p>

Something in his head kept screaming at him. And sometimes it felt like he was being torn in two. Fighting. Fighting always did that to him. Why couldn't people get along? Whenever the people of this land fought he was the one who got hurt. Even if he was just watching and not even participating.

He remembered the first battle that happened here. The battle of Banquan. The first time serious fighting had occurred. He remembered wishing it would never happen again… In that battle the Yellow Emperor had beaten Yandi the Flame Emperor. Now another battle was happening just after that.

The young boy sighed and rubbed his middle. What should he do?

The Yellow Empire had won a battle… it was best to stick by him, right? The young boy decided to pay the man a visit. He quietly as possible entered the man's village. It was… interesting. They were building huts, woman were…well he didn't know what they were doing… he wanted to meet this man more then anything and find out all these wonders.

He approached the larger hut and peeked in. "N-nǐ hǎo," the young boy whispered stuttering a bit in his nervousness.

The man inside looked up suddenly. But he smiled kindly at the boy. "There is something in your golden eyes, young one. Come in," he gestured kindly.

The boy nodded… "Are you the Yellow Emperor, aru?" he asked softly.

"That I am. And who are you?"

The boy blinked. "I'm afraid… I'm not certain…"

"You don't know who you are?" the Emperor asked, clearly shocked that this little boy had no idea of his identity.

He shook his head. "I… I am very confused. I feel at one with this land. I've walked around and explored everything, aru. If I take a wrong step somewhere, I don't feel the same…" He shook his head ceasing his rambling thoughts. "But… you are a man who has one a great battle. You've… built these shelters, aru. You must be wise, and maybe you know who I am…"

The man nodded, humming softly. "I see. Perhaps… you are the spirit of China."

"China?"

"Shì de, China. This is the land we live in. China."

Golden eyes went wide at this explanation. "I am the spirit of China, aru?" he asked softly. That… that would actually make a lot of sense.

"I think so. As an Emperor, I feel a strong connection with you, little one. You must be a good luck charm, come to aid me in my next battle."

The boy, wanted to believe that more then anything, but... "I know you are wise, and great. But are you sure, aru"

"I am certain, but what you have told me it sounds like you are some kind of spirit for our land. But when the people of this land fight… how do you feel?" The Yellow Empire asked.

"It hurts." the small boy placed a hand to his chest. "It hurts everywhere. I hate fighting, aru"

"As the spirit of the land, the you of course would hate it when the children of it fight. Does that confirm your suspicions?"

The boy nodded. Yes… that did make sense. Knowing this information gave him a sense of ease. "I knew you would have the answers. Xièxiè!"

"You are most welcome, spirit of China." The Emperor reached out and patted the young boy on the head.

"Emperor, I have seen many interesting things within your tribe… will you explain them to me, aru? I've never seen anything like it before."

"What you saw outside, the woman, they are weaving blankets. My wife taught them how to do it. They get it from silkworms. And also how to dye clothing. We've created carts to make moving things easier. And boats to get across rivers and streams."

The Spirit of China's eyes were wide. "That's incredible. I've never heard of anything like it before!"

"We also working on Characters."

"Characters? What's that?"

"They will be a way for us to put down our great history, so it is never forgotten."

"Truly amazing…" the Spirit of China said. "Will you teach them to me as well?"

"Of course I will," laughed the Emperor. "I will teach them to you. And you will go on to teach them to someone else. Pass down this great gift."

"I shall!"

"Wonderful to hear, Spirit of China. Now. Will you help me prepare for the upcoming battle?"

"Of course, Emperor!"

* * *

><p><em>I hate to think that the man who taught me everything, is just some legend, aru. It's true, that those early battles I can't remember. And the days of roaming around lost when I was just a child are hazy. But when I hear his name, I see him clearly, aru. Showing me the Characters, and helping me realize that I wasn't like other humans. I was the spirit of the land itself, aru. <em>

* * *

><p>The battle was about land. Who would get the fertile land by the river, and at first the Yellow Empire wasn't involved. But when the fierce battles made it to him, he was upset and he went to battle.<p>

The young boy had agreed to fight beside the Yellow Emperor. Placing his spirit with them. So when the other tribes fought and killed each other, it didn't hurt nearly as much. For he believed he was fighting with the heart of China. The Yellow Emperor.

On the battle field there was a thick fog that Chi You had summoned. And even under their animal spirit, the bear, wolf, leopard and pi they were still defeated. The young spirit of China could not defeat the enemy forces through the fog. He kept getting disoriented and then ambushed.

The young boy stumbled back to the Emperor. "Sir," he wheezed. "the fog is to thick… we keep getting defeated. There is no way for us to know where to go to fight our enemies. At this rate…"

The Yellow Emperor nodded from his place on the hilltop, overlooking the foggy plane. "I see… then I have an idea."

The Yellow Emperor consulted a man named Fang Bo, who pieced together an item they called the South Pointing Chariot, which essentially was a compass. Which would point in one direction and lead the armies through the fog. It was designed by the empire himself.

"Take this, little spirit." he said, handing the item to the boy. "And defeat our enemies. With you on out side. There can be no loss."

The boy smiled, holding on to the item tightly. "Thank you. I promise, we wont let you down."

The young spirit of China led the troops through the fog to slay the opposition. The boy lead them to Chi You… but seeing the man who was wielding such a powerful sword the boy was filled with fear. He didn't know if he could kill this man.

"Worry not young spirit," said a deep voice.

Golden eyes darted to the being next to him. It was the Yinglong, the loyal one winged dragon and servant of the Yellow Emperor.

"I shall slay him."

China nodded and stepped back giving the dragon room to slay the man. With him gone that meant there would be no more fighting, right? The young spirit really hoped so.

He watched as the young winged dragon circled Chi You. The dragon's fangs were bared, it's claws out ready to kill.

The young spirit of China held his breath. This was a beast of his lands. These people. The people of the Yellow Empire were part of him. They would not be defeated by the likes of Chi You, or his dark magic.

The one winged dragon was fast. With agile movements his claws sank through the Chi You, ending his life.

The young boy beamed. Even at the loss of life, he was happy. The Yellow Emperor would rule on. And continue creating wonderful knew things throughout the ages. The Yellow Emperor would teach him more about the land. Characters. And many other things to ensure this land lasted through however many ages were to come.

* * *

><p><em>The first time I felt my heart beat. Something coursing though me. I will never forget it, aru. Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me a chance<em>. _Another thing that reminds me, that you are not some silly legend. My heart beats in a different place now, aru. But I remember where it was first born. _

* * *

><p>With the battle won, the Yellow Emperor had established the Huaxia capital in Zhuolu. The young China spirit for the first time felt something thumbing in his chest. A heart. He looked up with wide golden eyes at the Emperor.<p>

The man simply smiled, patting the boy on the head once more. "Little spirit. Thank you. I hope that one day, people will say that they are descendants of Yan and Huang. I hope they are proud to say those words."

The little spirit of the land smiled. "They will. I know they will."

And they do. You will find many people in China who are proud to say that they are decedents from those proud men. Through the long years of China's history they have not forgotten where they come from. And that's quite important.

The little spirit of China will fight on. For now he hopes of peace. Hopes that he will never have to fight again. But both you and I know that that's now how these many stories go. And we will get back to China. But for now, we move on to someone else.

This young lady isn't often heard of. But this is an important war for her. Lady India. The Kurokshetra War. Only eighteen days of war, but groups from all over the country fought in it.

But I'll save that story for tomorrow.

-Roman Empire-

* * *

><p><em>Memories fade over time, aru. Every time I write those characters. Every time I feel my heartbeat, I remember you. Yellow Emperor. Xièxiè <em>

* * *

><p>AN

History everywhere, aru!

Let me first state that many historians don't believe that this battle happened. To long ago, and the telling of it does have magic and dragons. And I was going to leave the magic and such out, but I want to keep some Hetalia quirks in this. And China's boss was a dragon, in one episode. And I figure if these are mythical wars anyway, then I'd go with the magical telling of it. But I wont have any dragons flying around in WWII of course.

~Seeing as how this is the beginning of China's history, he'd be just a little thing. One of the first of his kind, that we know of. And trying to figure himself out. This is a time when it wasn't so much people invading people yet. More like… civil war.. I guess. Not even that as there is no set rule. It's just tribes going after tribes. So yeah, all the warring on a nation's land probably hurts a bit. I write the nations in all my fics a certain way concerning life spans and hearts and all that. If you've read one of my fics then you'll know the deal. I'll go over it as we go along, but, let me briefly explain a few points. Nations are immortal, so long as they have a heart. Hearts lie within the nations capital. If a capital is destroyed they lose their hearts and become mortal once more. If they are killed while alive they suffer only a human death, and will be on their feet eventually. If they are killed without a heart, they die. Should the country reform itself a new nation will be born, not quite like the old one but a bit similar. Colonies, and new born countries do not have hearts. America's heart lies with England, should something happen to London, Alfred and Arthur would both be effected. Alfred would not make it without London. That would be that. Once a new born country finds side to take, if that side declares a capital the heart begins to exist. Pretty straightforward. I write all my fics, that way.

~ The Battle of Banquan is the first recorded battle in China. But it was so long ago there is not much to go on. Really just who fought who, and the victor. This second battle isn't much better. But I did what I could with the information I have and know. I left out a few minor details. What happened to the opposing forces, and then a tribe that helped scare Chi You's forces.

What did happen to the opposing forces is they basically became what you would call barbarians. They scattered south a bit, lacking the technology that the Yellow Emperor had.

~ The Yellow Emperor is a legend in China, considered both history and legend. He is said to be the ancestor of all Huaxia Chinese. He is also considered one of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he reigned from 2697–2597 BCE Give or take a year. And he is regarded as the founder of Chinese civilization. Considering all that he invented for the Chinese. He founded creating shelters, taming wild animals, growing five of the Chinese cereals, carts and boats, and even clothing. His main wife created weaving and dyeing of clothing as well. He designed the compass and at his request he had a man named Cāng Jié create the Chinese characters. The list goes on quite a bit with, calendars and early Chinese astronomy. Take it all with a grain of salt, as it was so long ago it's hard to decipher what is myth and what isn't. After all, a hundred years is a long time to just rule, considering the time period. Regardless of fact of fiction, he is an important figure still to the Chinese people, and his tales from four thousand years ago live on. That's something, regardless.

~As for India, I know there isn't a character for her in Hetalia. That doesn't mean I'll be skipping over her, or any of the other countries that just don't happen to have characters. That's not fair to anyone. I have an India OC that I created for the fic As the World Falls Down. (WW3 sort of fic) And I will be using her again. I also have an OC for Ireland that I looked up on Fanwiki, which I'll probably be doing for the rest of the Hetalialess characters. Please feel free to drop in messages about certain countries and such that don't have characters. If they were in a war, they'll be in this story, eventually. Regardless of the seriousness of this fic, wars and all. I'd still like to add the quirks of the Hetalia characters. So I just want to do justice to other peoples countries.

~As for this little tale of China. I hope I did alright. Going back through a few things, between history books I own and online things, so I can get certain things right. I found that it differed which battle came first, Banquan or this one. SO… that was annoying. But I thought for sure Banquan came first… Either way, I will try my very hardest to be as accurate as possible when it comes to these war fics. These first three are based off myths (hense flying dragons in this tale:3 ) and from long ago. Facts get lost sadly. I am certainly trying my best. And I do hope you enjoy, and don't mind crazy long Authors notes…


	3. Kurukshetra War

As I promised you, Lady India is next. However, before we get to her let me not forget a few others that were around before her recorded battle. Sadly there is not enough information on these fights for me to go into any kind of detail. In 2530 BC there was the battle Magh Lthe in Ireland. Yes, he tends to get overlooked. But England's older brother, Ireland, is one of the older European countries. Now, technically depending on what you're reading for this first recorded battle in Ireland's history changes a bit… 2670 BC or 2071 BC... Yes… I know. 600 year gap. But it's so long ago it's really hard to keep track of these things. Sadly, Ireland doesn't remember much around that time. This is a difficult time for countries. Trying to figure out who and what they are…

Anyway. The battle was started by a man named Cíocal Grigenchosach, of the Fomorians, and his mother. They came into Ireland with eight hundred in number.

So a battle was fought between them and Partholón's people at Sleamhnai Maighe Ithe. Partholón was the leader of the second tribe to settle in Ireland. So when the Fomorians showed up there was of course a battle. The Fomorians were defeated by Partholón, and all of them were slain.

Because the Fomorians were invaders, of sorts. I'm sure Ireland did better then China for his first battle on his lands.

In other parts of the world there were many wars going on for borders. Mesopotamia was what he was called at the time. Sadly, he is gone now, much like myself. Counties like Iraq, Syria and other's were born and have the lands he used to be. All great empires and kingdoms fall eventually. That is something you can count on in this world. Nothing. Absolutely nothing lasts forever.

But Mesopotamia fought many battles during this time. He was like me! He had countries under him, like I had my little Italy! He had empires like Babylonia Empires and Assyrian Empires under him. Babylon was attacked a lot back then. Even though Mesopotamia was all one Empire, sometimes they didn't always work together. It was more territorial then a untied alliance. Eventually Mursili I, of Syria, sacked and hit the city of Babylon this brought an end to the Amorite dynasty of Hammurabi. But back in Syria assassinations and unease grew with in the rule, which would cause Syria many conquests.

AH! But listen to me prattle on like an old man. Older then I already am. There is much to say about the Middle East, but not enough information about battles. And that's what I'm here to talk about. The wars. If I talked in detail about everything else… well. We'd be here for a very long time I'm afraid.

Ms. India has been waiting her turn.

Now as I said, this war in considered myth, but also the most important in India's history. Now no one is sure when this war happened, the dates very to 6000 BC to 600 BC… I know another long gap! That's just how it was back then! But! What is known is that the battle lasted only eighteen days…

* * *

><p><em>Much like the others wondering aimlessly around this century. My memories tend to be foggy. I remember so many tribes. Ancient leaders. And then one day… the teetering peace fell to pieces… <em>

* * *

><p>She stayed silent. Always silent. Away from the rulers and feuding cousins and brothers. Fighting would break out soon. She hated fighting… it hurt when the people of this land fought each other. So she sat quietly and watched warriors come from all over the country side to fight with one of the two rivals.<p>

She let out a soft sigh. Perhaps she should take a side… she was one with the land… or perhaps being one with the land meant that she shouldn't fight her own people. Ah… what was the right choice? She needed some kind of guide to help her through this difficult life.

Should she fight with the Indo-Aryan tribe Kuru, the Kauravas or the Pandavas? She'd rather not fight at all. If she was found out to be a girl… The young Indian nation wrapped her arms around herself. For now she was young. She didn't look like other women. For that she was grateful. If she could hide it forever that would be best.

The young girl waited and watched. Sneaking around both encampments. She noted that a young boy named Krishna, had tried to have peace talks but they were ignored. She watched from a door with wide eyes as they tried to have the boy arrested for just trying to make peace.

The boy Krishna laughed and showed the people in the court his divine form. The girls eyes went wide at the spectacle before her. He laughed at the attempts to arrest him and instead cursed the king, Duryodhana of the Kuru and told the room that he would meet his downfall. Krishna returned to the opposite faction to tell them that the only option left was war, he had tried for a peaceful solution, but it was not to be.

The Indian avatar had much to ponder now. She still wasn't keen on helping the people of the land rip each other apart… but she should pick a side, shouldn't she?

The girl decided to wait and see what happened.

Krishna it turned out had a great army and was a great warrior. Knowing that defeating them would not be easy. Duryodhana decided he should go and ask for Krishna's help to fight the opposite side. Arjuna had the same idea from the opposite faction.

The young Indian nation followed after Duryodhana, being sure to keep a distance away. But she was never usually noticed by the leaders of this land. No one paid her much attention.

When Duryodhana arrived he noted that Krishna was asleep. Being the arrogant man he was he took a seat by the deity's head. Arjuna who arrived later, being far more humble of such a person, sat at the man's feet.

The girl peeked in again, curious as to how this would go.

When Krishna awoke he saw Arjuna at his feet and heard them out. He agreed to give one side his mighty army and the other side he would give himself, unarmed.

The Indian nation watched with wide eyes. Certainly if you had a deity on your side, armies would not matter! She watched with a bit of anticipation as she waited for Arjuna's answer.

Arjuna was considered by Duryodhana to be a fool. And he seemingly proved Duryodhana correct. He picked the deity, Krishna for his side. The deity agreed, and both mortal men left satisfied. She peeked at Krishna once more. She should certainly fight on the side of a deity. As one who was one with the land, it seemed the right thing to do. She hurried out and followed Duryodhana back to his encampment to see what they had. She gasped at the size of the army the Kaurava had gathered. They had raised eleven Akshohini. One Akshohini contained 21,870 chariots, 21,870 war elephants, 65,610 horses, and 103,350 footmen. They had eleven of those…

She almost fainted at the size of the army… This was over two million! And she thought the others had a large army. Seven Akshohini was a very large army. But this… There was no way she could fight in a battle of this magnitude. This was… almost four million all together…

The largest army she had ever seen versus a deity. What side did you pick? And should she pick a side at all? What was the right choice? Would she even be fit for battle once these two sides, the people of her land started to rip each other apart? She took a few steps back from the immaculate army before turning and running away.

Why must there be war anyway? Why must there be fighting? Large tears fell from her eyes as she continued to run away from it all.

* * *

><p><em>I will never like war… I can't imagine those like myself like it either, though you wouldn't know it by looking at some of their pasts… Though I can't imagine any of us like the kind of war we have in the modern age… guns are the least of peoples worries these days… there are far more terrifying things in the world now… but looking at the elephants when I was a little girl… one step and they could crush me… I feared those beasts more then anything back then.<em>

* * *

><p>The Indian avatar watched from a distance listening to their voices on the wind. She was dressed in boy soldier attire, just in case.<p>

It seemed strange to her, that their would be rules of conduct in something as barbaric as war. But she was also glad for it. No attacking woman, no harming animals unless they were a threat, no attacking a wounded man who was surrendering you must take him as a prisoner of war then. No more then one person attacking another. And the rules went on like that…

But in something as bloodthirsty as war she doubted that the rules would be followed, but she hoped they would be.

The Indian nation suddenly looked up. Before the battle began a man was walking out. Heading to the middle of the battlefield. She watched mesmerized, was someone giving up already? But she narrowed her eyes a bit, giving him a better look. He was praying. It warmed her to the core a bit. She learned that this man was Yudhisthira, the leader of the Pandava side.

When the leader returned to his chariot the battle began.

* * *

><p><em>Yudhisthira to Dhristadyumna in the meeting:- "O Dhrishtadyumna, mark these words that I say unto thee. Approved by Vasudeva Krishna, thou hast been the commander of our forces. As Kartikeya, in days of old, was ever the commander of the celestial host, so also art thou, O bull among men, the commander of the Pandava host. Putting forth thy prowess, O tiger among men, slay the Kauravas. Rest of us will follow thee"<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day One<strong>

She watched with wide eyes as the armies collided. War elephants would storm through the battle carrying archers. On one of these great beasts was a man named Bhishma of the Kaurava army, he was the youngest son of youngest son of the illustrious King Shantanu. He was also an archer unparallel by any other. While he was an older man now, his skill with a bow had not lessened. And he was still just as sharp as he had been when he was younger. However his stamina was not as good as it once was. He was protected at all times by the Kaurava army.

The battle was fierce and many lives were lost. But that's how wars go… The India avatar watched from a safe distance. Seeing all the blood shed. The death. So much of it. Then she saw a man. He was the commander of the Pandava Army. Sweta was his name. She watched Bhishma from high up on his elephant take aim and fire at Sweta.

The arrow was fast and true. It struck Sweta through the chest, and he fell in battle. Cheers irrupted from the Kaurava army. With the commander dead this would be an easy victory for them.

They were no fools though. With Sweta defeated, Arjuna and Krishna withdrew the Pandava army. They backed away from the cheers of the other army and made to regroup. They needed a new commander of the army.

The young Indian avatar hurried after the defeated army to hear and see what they would do next. Dhristadyumna was elected the new leader of the Pandava army.

"O Tiger among men, slay the Kauravas. The rest of us will follow thee."

"I shall…" he said taking his oath before the others. They did not wish to suffer another defeat.

The young girl sighed. The battle had certainly not been pleasant. It was never pleasant when people of the land killed each other. She slumped down outside the tent and rubbed her middle. She did wish more then anything that this side with the deity won. She truly wished that. But even more then that, she wished there wasn't any fighting…

"We mustn't lose heart," she heard the deity, Krishna, speak. "This is only a small defeat. The war is far from over. He stepped out of the tent glancing down at the young girl. A small smile graced his face and he knelt beside her. "Isn't that right, mera chota sa?"

She gasped softly starring at the man with wide eyes. But he walked away from her without another word.

* * *

><p><em>You knew who I was. But you didn't say a word about it. You knew what I was. But you didn't say a word about it. That silence means everything to me to this day. You truly are a great deity<em>.

* * *

><p><strong>Day Two <strong>

The second day things were just as bloody. Pandava wanted to stop their losses, so the best way to do that was to defeat Bhishma. But the Pandava army found it impossible to reach the heavily guarded archer. Arjuna tried to duel the man many times but could never come close as he was always blocked my soldiers.

The man ground his teeth in frustration. "There must be something we can do." he growled.

Bhima ran up to the Arjuna. "Try and shoot him from his chariot. It's the only way. Bhima had been fierce on the battle field having killed King Srutayus and two of his sons.

Satyaki had been assisting Bhima jogged up beside both. "He's on a horse drawn chariot right now. Now's the best time… The warrior drew his bow taking aim at the riding chariot. He fired an arrow, missing Bhishma but killing the one driving the chariot. With no one to steer the horses, the chariot left the battlefield taking Bhishma from the battle.

"Well," Arjuna laughed slightly. "That works for now."

And it did. The Pandava were able to obtain a win this day.

The young Indian avatar watched the horses ride past her at the time, leaving a trail of blood from the slain driver. She carefully walked over to the bloody puddle. The girl bit her bottom lip and reached out to touch it but quickly drew back her hand to frightened to touch it.

Back at the Pandava encampment they had a toast to Bhima who smote people left and right. Beast and man alike. He was unstoppable this day.

"And may you smite many more with that mace of yours, Bhima," Arjuna encouraged. There were cheers at this as they prepared for the next day of fighting.

* * *

><p><em>Red like roses it was... But I was afraid to touch it. Afraid I might become part of their horrible warring. A dead man's blood. I feared it like a poison at the time. <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day Three <strong>

The Kauravas concentrated their attack on Arjuna's position this day. They bombarded Arjuna's chariot with javelins, arrows and spears. He remained untouched by the weapons and fired arrow after arrow at the Kauravas army.

"Bhishma is doing a good job keeping Arjuna pinned," muttered Bhima. "We have to disorganize their army!"

He aimed his bow his eyes narrowing as he saw his chance to harm the leader of the Kauravas. Duryodhana… he took aim and shot his arrow at him. But it wasn't a killing shot. Bhima cursed as the charioteer drove Duryodhana out of danger. However, it did scatter the armies who saw their leader fleeing.

"This is our chance go!" Bhima encouraged.

But it was not quite to be. Bhishma came and took charge, regrouping the scattering armies the small opening that Pandava had gained was already closed.

"It was a good try, Bhima," Arjuna encouraged. "Do not be discouraged."

Once Duryodhana's wound was healed he came back and scolded Bhishma for going to easy on his nephews like Arjuna.

"Going to easy on them?" he growled. "You think I'm going to easy on them?" He rode the armies into battle, furious at these claims and smote whoever came in his way, he was a powerful and terrifying force on the battlefield.

It frightened the Pandava army and they began to scatter.

"We must stop Bhishma and regain control of the battlefield," Krishna insisted. "Come with me to stop Bhishma, Arjuna,"

The archer nodded rushing with the other to attack Bhishma. However Arjuna's heart wasn't in his fight… he had no desire to spill his great uncle's blood this night. In this weakness Bhishma slaughtered many of Arjuna's armies.

Arjuna backed away from the fight. Seeing this the deity Krishna, took his discus and rushed at Bhishma to slay him.

"Wait!" Arjuna called grabbing the deity by his arm. "Wait, please."

Krishna looked back at the man. "What?"

"I will do it… I failed this night. But tomorrow, I will fight with more vigor. I shall kill him."

Krishna nodded slightly. "Very well."

When night had fallen and the armies returned to their encampment the young Indian avatar gathered some of her courage. She went to the Pandava encampment once more and sought out Krishna.

She found him standing outside his tent staring at the stars. "Excuse me," she whispered softly.

He glanced at her and smiled. "Yes little one?"

"I was watching… and I had a question…"

"Then ask."

"Did… did you have any intention of killing Bhishma?"

He smiled slightly and looked down at her, giving the young avatar his full attention. "No…"

"Why not? That could have turned the tide of battle?"

"Because there are some things humans must do on their own. Trials they must face. If I do everything for them, they wont get any stronger. Arjuna must fight this battle on his own. I gave him the strength and encouragement to do so."

She smiled slightly. "I see…"

"You, child of this land, will make your own choices when it comes to that. It's where we differ. These are your people. You will feel that you have to help them. Or you can sit back and let them fight. Either way, it's your choice."

Her brown eyes shined. "I don't want them to fight anymore… it hurts,"

"I know. In a way… it will get easier. But then again, it may never get easier. You'll see."

She nodded slightly. "Thank you," she bowed her head. "I don't like when my people fight. But I am hoping for your victory."

He smiled at her, returning his gaze to the stars. "Run along, child of the land."

She nodded hurrying off again. Another day of fighting would begin.

* * *

><p><em>Child of the land. That is what you called me. I miss you great deity. I look at the stars occasionally and think of you. The first person who really spoke to me. I had already somewhat figured out what I was. But you confirming and understanding. It brought me so much joy. <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day Four <strong>

"An all out offensive!" ordered Bhishma. At once Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu, was surrounded by the Kaurava army. Arjuna came to rescue his son. And Bhima as well. He was a force that was to be feared. He killed and killed saving Abhimanyu from the many attackers.

Duryodhana seeing this set a horde of elephants after him, but still Bhima was triumphant. He swung his mace fearlessly and slaughtered the elephants. Everything that was thrown at him was defeated.

He even killed eight of Duryodhana's brothers.

Bhishma seeing the slaughter knew it had to end. He drew an arrow and aimed it at the chaotic force on the battle field. His shot was true. He struck Bhima in the chest and ended his terror on the battle.

The mace wielding warrior fell back in his chariot, dazed. But the damage had been done and lots of damage had been done at his hand.

As the battle ended, Duryodhana, filled with grief, went to Bhishma. "How?" he asked. "We have a much greater force. And they defeat us again and again… how?" he asked.

The man sighed slightly and glanced across the bloody feel. "It seems, they have justice on their side." He glanced at the grief filled man. "I recommend asking for peace. I really do."

But that is not what he did. And the fighting continued.

* * *

><p><em>Filled with grief this was what Duryodhana had to say to grandsire Bhishma: "O grandsire, Drona and you, and Shalya, and Kripa, and Drona's son Ashwathama, and Kritavarma the son of Hridyika, and Sudakshina the ruler of the Kambojas, and Bhurisravas, and Vikarna, and Bhagadatta of exceeding prowess, all these are regarded as mighty car-warriors, Maharathas. All of these, again, are high-born, and prepared to throw away their lives in battle. It is my opinion that these are a match for even the three worlds, united together. Even all the warriors of the Pandava army, united together cannot bear your prowess. A doubt has arisen in my mind. Explain it to me who enquires of you. Who it is, relying on whom the Pandavas are vanquishing us repeatedly<em>"

* * *

><p>The Indian avatar remembered the next few days very vaguely. It was an onslaught of fighting. Both armies were suffering heavy losses. Sons. Brothers. All were falling and soon both Pandava and Kauravas were losing the foundation of their armies.<p>

"Krishna," she said softly, daring to speak to him again. He was angry. He had once more been stopped from killing Bhishma.

He looked down at her. "Yes?" still trying to be kind to her despite his anger.

"You can not win this war if Bhishma is still alive…" she said softly.

"I know that," he growled turning away from her but he stopped halfway. He looked down at her again. An idea coming to him. "A woman…"

She blinked at the deity. "A woman?"

"Arjuna!" he called. "I have an idea," he hurried back into the tent. She peaked in to see what they were discussing. "A woman… put a woman on the field to face Bhishma…"

"He has taken a vow not to harm a woman…" Arjuna looked at the deity. "We don't have any woman here…"

"Actually we do…" he gestured to the India avatar. "She's very special. And will work perfectly.

Brown eyes went wide, but she stepped into the tent. "M-Me?"

"You said you wanted us to win… so assist us, child of the land."

Her bottom lip quivered slightly. "Very well. I shall assist."

* * *

><p><em>My first battle. And it would not be my last. <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day 10 <strong>

She shook, terribly nervous. A bow in her hand, seeing Bhishma appear on the battle field. She swallowed her nerves. She raised her bow and took aim. "For my people… to stop the fighting sooner rather then later… Once this is over, I'll never have to fight again…"

With those thoughts in mind she fired her arrow. One after another. Bhishma could do nothing but accept the onslaught, because she was a woman, and he couldn't fire back.

Arjuna stood behind her aiming for the soft spots in the man's armor. India looked away, lowering her bow. Bhishma's body was completely covered in armors. He fell from the chariot his body never touching the ground because of all the arrows in it.

When he had fallen, both armies gathered around the body. Bhishma had made a promise not to die until Hastinapur were secured from all directions. While he couldn't die yet. He was unable to continue in this battle.

The Indian nation closed her eyes sadly. She had helped take a life that day. Her first…

"And it will not be your last," Krishna said softly.

That news hurt… it meant that there would be more fighting in her future…

* * *

><p><em>Human life is precious and fragile. Their light can go out so quickly… I have never taken it for granted. I have never forgotten this.<em>

* * *

><p>With Bhishma no longer able to battle, Duryodhana made Drona the commander of the rest of the army. They came up with a plan that they needed to capture Yudhisthira, the leader of the Pandava's. They should not kill him. Keeping him hostage would be a wiser move. Killing him would only enrage the army…<p>

Two days of fighting proved that this would not be an easy task. Drona went back to Duryodhana saying it would be impossible as long as Arjuna was alive. They'd need to kill him first.

On the thirteenth day, Duryodhana summoned King Bhagadatta, the monarch of Pragjyotisha. He was the strongest warrior in elephant warfare and he had thousands of elephants.

He marched on the battle field to fight Arjuna. While fighting one of his son's went out to break a formation of the Kaurava's army. In doing so he was killed. Jayadratha grinned at this and kicked the body of Arjuna's son and rejoiced around it.

When Arjuna heard of this news he swore to kill Jayadratha or he would throw himself into a fire.

The Indian avatar lay in the place she usually did during the fighting, curled up slightly trying to ignore the pain. "How?" she asked softly, tears pouring down her face. "How can you rejoice over the death of someone like that…? Friend or foe…Death is terrible…"

* * *

><p><em>Respect the bodies of the dead. Be it an ally or an enemy, respect them. Life is precious and fragile. Death is eternal, so treat them with respect. <em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day 14 <strong>

Arjuna went on the hunt to find Jayadratha. The man who killed his son. He slew over a hundred thousand men while he searched. It was late afternoon by the time he found the man and he was heavily guarded.

Krishna saw this and came up with a plan. He needed to lower the guard of the army. He leaped into the sky and used his disc to block out the sun, making the other side think sunset was approaching and the time for fighting had ended.

With this Arjuna was able to fight his battle with Jayadratha. Their blades clashed and a fierce battle was fought.

"You killed my son," he hissed.

The man simply smirked. "And you haven't killed any sons?"

"I have. But I don't dishonor their bodies."

"What does it matter? A dead man is a dead man,"

Arjuna scowled. He found new strength and in a few quick moves sent Jayadratha to the ground in defeat. He grabbed his bow and pulled back an arrow. "When you are dead, you will see…" he fired his arrow decapitating the man who killed his son.

This night they fought well into the night. And it was after Bhima lost one of his sons did they finally stop.

"That new leader of their's Drona is very powerful. We must defeat him sooner rather then later. Arjuna stated after the battle. They were sitting in their encampment around a small fire.

The Indian avatar sitting away from them in the distance as she always did. Listening.

"If you kill his son… he will stop fighting." Krishna stated.

The men around the fire nodded at this. "We don't need to actually kill his son… just tell him his son is dead."

Bhima nodded. "I'll take care of this."

Yudhisthira, the leader of the Pandava army walked towards them. "Lying to a man about his son's death? I don't know if I could do that…"

Krishna jumped up. "It's to win the war. There I no harm in lying a little bit to make sure your people survive."

The leader of the Pandavas said nothing more at this.

The young nation watched carefully and smiled slightly. He was a good man.

When the next day came Bhima killed an elephant that had the same name as Drona's son. "Ashwathama! I've killed Ashwathama!" he declared waving his bloody mace in the air.

The words circulated quickly and reached Drona in no time. He was uncertain if the words were true or not. So he searched out Yudhisthira. "Tell me honestly… is my son really dead?"

The leader of the Pandavas hesitated for a moment. "Ashwathama Hatahath, naro va Kunjaro va," _Ashwathama is dead, but I am uncertain if it's your son or an elephant. _But before that whole sentence could be heard Krishna blew a conch filling the battlefield with noise and the rest of Yudhisthira's words could not be heard.

Hearing only the first part Drona became discouraged. He dropped his arms. He was killed almost at once by Dhristadyumna to avenge his father's death.

Once more the Kaurava were down a commander. They elected Karna to become the new supreme commander and what they hoped to be the last commander they had to pick for this battle.

The Indian avatar was going to get some shut eye. Fifteen days of war were wearing her out. She hoped it would end soon. Her entire middle was aching. Just as she was about to shut her eyes, she caught sight of someone. A woman..! India was up and running after her, she was heading towards the Kaurava army. The young girl followed behind carefully, watching as the woman went into a tent.

"Karna," she whispered softly. "Please forgive me for this intrusion… but I have a request." Her name was Kunti. She was the mother to the Pandava's brothers. And Karna was her abandoned son.

"A request? I have no time to listen to someone like you."

"Please. I beg of you… I ask you to spare the Pandava brothers. They are technically your younger brothers. Do not slay them… Please."

Karna sighed slightly. "Very well. I'll spare them all except Arjuna. I will kill him."

* * *

><p><em>I wonder what having family is like… China and his brothers and sisters. Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan…. And then on the other side… England and his America… and France and… that one who looks like America. England says I was part of his family at one point… but I certainly don't feel any sort of attachment to him like I know others have for each other… I wonder if I'm missing out, or saving myself a lot of pain.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Day Seventeen <strong>

Karna on the seventeenth day kept true to his word to his mother. He defeated the Pandava brothers Sahadeva and Yudhisthira. But kept them alive, as he promised he would. Only Arjuna would die.

Karna later rode out to battle Arjuna. In their chariots they fired arrows at one another. The Kaurava leader felt his chariot come to an unpleasant halt. He was stuck… in the middle of a battle. "I call a pause!" he shouted out.

Arjuna nodded, going to give him one.

Krishna glanced over at the man. He shared the chariot with the other. "You know… Karna showed no such kindness when Abhimanyu was in this same situation, left without chariot and weapons…"

Hearing of his son's fate, the man drew his bow and pulled back the arrow and fired. He decapitated the man. "For Abhimanyu… every father should be able to avenge the death of his son…"

By the eighteenth day, Duryodhana realized that he had lost. All his brothers were dead. So he fled.

The Pandavas followed him to a river and there Bhima had a mace battle with Duryodhana. Kaurava's king took a mortally wounding blow. Pleased with the outcome, the Pandava's left savoring their victory.

However bitterness at Duryodhana's defeat was strong. Ashwatthama, Kripacharya, and Kritavarma met Duryodhana at his death bed and swore to avenge him. They hurried out and attacked the Pandava's encampment killing the rest of the army.

The young Indian avatar stepped out onto the bloody battlefield and looked around at the corpses and dead animals. The arrows and spears that littered the ground. Broken chariots. This is what war brings. How could you say that there was any victor when almost four million people lost their lives?

At the end of the eighteenth day… only twelve people survived… she rubbed her eyes trying to stop the tears.

A soft melody was playing not to far away. She hurried over, her eyes wide. Krishna… he was sitting on the back of a fallen elephant playing his flute.

"Krishna!" she called out.

"Little one?" he asked stopping his playing to look down at her.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Now what?" she asked softly.

"Now what?" he repeated, smiling slightly. "Now life goes on. The war is over. The Pandava brothers and the few survivors will live on and mark their place in history."

"But this battle! What did it do or prove?" she demanded.

"You saw a greedy king, fall to a righteous one. And while good men did die, better men survived. If you remember I did try for peace…"

"I know…" she said softly. "But now that the war is over… and only good remains, there will be no more war, right?"

He smiled slightly shaking his head. "My dear child. There is always evil. As long as there is good. There will be evil." He stood, placing his flute to his lips once more and turning away.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked stepping closer.

"Back home."

"Take me with you!" she cried out.

"That I cannot do. You belong here. A child of the land, belongs with the land."

"I don't want to stay here! I don't want to be alone! Please."

Krishna jumped off the elephant's back and walked over to her. He placed a hand on her head and gave her a small smile. "Your time will come. The beginning of a journey is never easy. The world will eventually make sense to you, and you'll be able to overcome the trials ahead of you. Do not lose hope." He stood up turning around, placing the flute to his lips once more and leaving her behind.

The Indian avatar fell to her knees tears falling down her cheeks. She was all alone again… what… just what was she going to do? How was she going to survive in this world…? She sniffed sadly and picked herself up off the ground. "Pandava… they are just… perhaps… they will help me…"

* * *

><p><em>If I had known that one day my fate might be a cage, I don't think I would have hated war as much as I did back then. I hated being trapped. It didn't have bars or chains. But I had never felt so weighted down. As I ran that day, I didn't know how lucky I was… <em>

* * *

><p>And so, there it was. A war that lasted eighteen days. But almost four million lives were lost. What happened afterward? Yudhisthira was crowned king of Hastinapur. He renounced the throne after ruling for 36 years, passing on the crown to Arjuna's grandson Parikshit. He then left for the Himalayas with Draupadi and four Pandavas brothers; Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadev. They all died during their journy… Yudhisthira, the lone survivor and being of pious heart, was invited by Dharma to enter the heavens as a mortal.<p>

India will find her way though the trials of life so do not worry about her to much. We will come back to later.

Whom should we talk of next? Hyksos conquest of Egypt? I'm afraid telling you that story would require me to tell other stories and we'd stray from our point. Xia-Shang War in China? Kaska invasions of Hatti? Both of those again. My information is to vague. I couldn't accurately tell these. For China, that one is a series of battle with little information. Same with Hatti. But these wars back when we still have mythological wars going on aren't very accurate after all. So don't be discouraged.

However. I will go over one of Egypt's stories soon. But first let's tell the last of the mythological wars… this one probably the most famous and one I'm sure you've heard of at least in passing.

The next tail I will tell you is the Trojan War. A long tail indeed but a grand one.

-Roman Empire-

Times have certainly changed. I no longer hide in fear, or feel suppressed. I stand beside another woman. It's been a long journey.

* * *

><p>AN

My God… seriously. This took me forever. And I truly tried everything I could to make it interesting enough so you didn't feel like you were reading it out of a text book. I am not familiar at all with Indian history. This made this a lot harder.

~I did say that I wasn't going to skip over any battles. But some of these battles from back then, I just don't have any information on. Not good enough information to weave a story out of. And for those Mesopotamia stories… to explain certain things would be a nightmare. I mentioned them, but there is no way for me to write a story about it.

~The Indian avatar is a girl. I understand the rights of woman have had it's ups and downs. But these days they are treated much better. Woman hold high positions, in fact the president of India is a woman. But back then, it's hard to say exactly. There are different accounts. But when the Medieval era hit around 500 BC things started to go down hill. I felt it necessary for the Indian Avatar to be somewhat afraid and want to hide her gender.

~Krishna is a deity of the Indian people. In fact, I do believe he is still used in some modern day religions as well. All the more reason I was nervous about writing him. I wanted to do him justice. He is depicted as being mischievous and playing his flute. Also, he did use somewhat underhanded methods of winning. But, in most stories Gods and deities will do whatever it takes to win battles. Even if they need a little bit of trickery. You'll see in the next chapter.

~Rules of engagements are used in many battle. But most of the time they get broken constantly in war. It's things like no attacking civilians, children and such and such. Accidents of course happen. And then war in itself is an experience I don't think I could ever describe accurately. The fear and adrenalin… it's another experience altogether. There are a few spots in history that I'll go over and you'll see what I'm poorly describing.

~Mera chota sa, should be in Hindi; my little one. I apologize if that's wrong. And I apologize again if the word is being used in the wrong context. I think it is. I don't with to slaughter the language.

~ In old stories like this you'll find that there are a select few warriors that are so powerful and everyone else is just fodder. Bhisma and such vanquished hundreds upon thousands of attackers with a single blow of a mace. This is the only way that these things can be explained in some cases. You'll see it again in the next chapter.

~When India picked up a bow to defeat Bhishma. Well. That's not how it exactly happened in the story. She obviously wasn't there. In the actual telling a man named Shikhandi, did it. He had been a woman in a previous life so that's what Bhishma wasn't able to attack him. I truly hesitated before tweaking the story to put the Indian avatar in there. But she needed a role to play and this was perfect place for her. It's not meant to offend anyone, and I'll likely be tweaking other stories to fit the Hetalia characters in it.

~Another thing about the telling of these stories. Arrows decapitating people… they'd have to be some thick arrows. But again, it's just the telling of the story. There is no other way to explain some things back then. The blocking out the sun. A perfect solution is to say a deity did it. I think that's some of the fun in these older stories. Impossible things made possible.

~The Trojan war is next. My excitement for that is unmatched. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for the views. Reviews. And all that jazz. I know this might be a little lackluster right now. When we get into other wars it'll be better. Country vs. country. I've got some great ideas. :3


End file.
